Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Good, clean but a bit pricy

O'brien's Sandwich bar does exactly as it says in the title. Make sandwiches. They have a good range of title to choose from with many being able to be toasted or just in normal bread. As well as there own titles they do have the option of allowing you to create your own sandwich which i find is always very useful when travelling with very fussy people or children.

In terms of price I think that they do charge a bit to much for what you get. For example the one in Belfast on the Lisburn road is very pricy and for two sandwiches you wouldnt expect much change from £10 excluding drinks.

However I find there portion size to be of an acceptable standard, not overly generous but acceptable.

There shops are usually clean and there seems to always be enough seats for people who want to sit in.

All in all a very good place to get some lunch in.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

If you have lots of disposable income & aren't fussed about what you eat, then O'Briens is fine

I think O'Briens is pretty over rated and over priced. Every now and again they do a soup and sandwich deal which can be quite a good price, but if you were to go in and get a sandwich, packet of crisps and a drink, it can set you back almost £7! You can get the same from Boots for £2.99! I don't see how the quality of the sandwiches justifies the prices. Sure, the bread is a bit thicker, but as far as the fillings go, it's nothing different you would get in any other sandwich shop. However, before I was a vegetarian, when I'm feeling a little flush and extravagant, I did like their Tripledecker sandwich. It was bacon, chicken mayo and coleslaw, with three layers of toasted bread. It was actually a really good sandwich, and something you wouldn't be able to get in many other sandwich shops, but it was pricey too - around £4.50! It's no wonder people that are strapped for cash go to places like MacDonalds when you can get a burger, chips and a drink for the same price! I know O'Briens has 'specialities' like some kind of bread shaped like a clover (???) but whenever I went in (by the way, only reason was because it was the only sandwich shop close to my office) all I could see was people ordering your bog standard egg mayonnaise on brown bread. If you have a choice, go to Boots, or go to the smaller, independently owned sandwich shops, you won't feel ripped off afterwards!

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Pop in next time you pass and make your own mind up

O Brien's Irish Sandwich Bar

Description: Gourmet coffee and Irish sandwiches

http://www.obriens.co.uk

Every day when I am walking down the street (Northumberland Street in Newcastle, just in case you are interested!), I pass O'Briens and quite often, I pop in for something. We also use their catering service at work to deliver food when we have clients in the office.

Unfortunately, they are not the cheapest place to eat or drink. A coffee can cost in the region of £2 and soft drinks and waters are also expensive. Sandwiches cost around £3.50 and there are also a selection of sweet treats, which again can be a little overpriced.

So, I hear you ask, why do I go there? Well of course there is the convenience factor but there is also the fact that the food is fantastically fresh and there is a nice choice available. They open before 8am which means I can pop in for a bacon sandwich on the way to work which is also a bonus. All the meats, salads and condiments are freshly made into sandwiches in front of you when you place your order, and the shop is always spotless.

The staff are friendly and the shop has a cosy seating area where you can enjoy your food with the delicious smells of fresh coffee around you. There is even an outside seating area for sunny days.

When we order food for clients, it is always very well presented and extremely fresh. Yes this may cost a little more than some other places but they are really accomodating and will prepare something on really short notice. It is this reliability and attention to detail that makes us keep going back.

Have a look at the website for more information or check out your nearest O'Briens. They may not be the cheapest, but you are paying for quality and freshness, and I am sure that you won't be disappointed.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Ordering a sandwich should be cheaper and easier than this

I work in Glasgow city centre and sometimes I am like the rest of the workers out there and have a bad morning and need something to give you that little pick me up and so when O'Briens recently opened a new place across from my work I decided to give them a shot.O'Briens is a luxury sandwich store offering a variety of sandwiches, wraps, baked potatoes, soups, cakes and more.I have been in on a couple of accassions and had a variety of different things from them ranging from their cakes and a wrap to a baked potato with some filling and have been pleased with the quality of my purchases on each occassion but unfortunately this is where the positives of my experience have ended.Each time I have visited O'Briens I have had to queue for ages and when I finally get to being served I have found ordering to be extremely difficult due to foreign workers not being able to understand me speaking in clear and concise English.Upon placing my order I have regularly found that O'Briens either don't have baked potatoes ready or don't have any in stock to serve which is frustrating but I don't mind ordering their sandwiches so can forgive that somewhat.The items you order are more expensive than in other sandwich places and so when you get to the paying stage following all your frustrations with language barriers and items not being available it is somewhat of a kick in the teeth to then be charged so much for the priveledge including a surcharge of 50p if you pay be card and your order is less than £5.

Positives:

- Tasty and freshly prepared food- Ability to choose all things on your sandwiches including butter, salad, fillings, etc- Ability to pay be debit or credit card- Cards stamped so that after 10 sandwiches you get one free- Great product variety

Negatives:

- Expensive- Poor staff with language barriers and a lack of attention paid during orders leading to a lot of repeating yourself and also long queues- Surcharge if you pay by card and it is less than £5- Items not available due to not being ready at lunch times or lack of stock

All in all O'Briens is somewhere I used to use for a treat but since I have not had any good experiences I have now stopped using them as I found them expensive and the ordering experience to be somewhat more difficult than any other sandwich places. The food is good quality but that is the only saving grace for me.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

a sandwich bar basic

I recently went to obriens sandwich bar in abbeycentre newtownabbey. I was really hungry and wanted a sandwich. It had the same kind of layout as starbucks or like any coffe shop were you go up to order what you want.

I did not like this kind of service as I have a son and it is quite hard trying to order food and keep them occupied incase they get bored. I also like a service were you can sit down and they come to you. Anyway that was my first bad point about the place but it would not annoy other people. This is my opinion. I also orderd a chicken and mayop salad sandwic and it was basic nothing spectacular or not a big sandwich I could have made one myself just as good. They also sell pastries and some choclate squares and carmel squares. They sell tea and coffee but the specalize in sandwiches.

It cost me for a cup of tea and a sandwich nearly eight pound I was not impressed with the sandwich never mind the seven odd pound they charged me.

I did not complain there is some good points the place is really clean and it also was good as you can see everything being made and prepared.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Worth waiting for if you have the time

Starbucks introduced the concept of posh coffee shops to the UK, and since then I think most people have visited at least one. I've never been a coffee fan, but I do adore chai made with steamed milk which most of these places do. There's an O'Brien's standing opposite my office, and it can be hard to resist the temptation to pop in and grab one on the way to work.

Drinks are, as usual in these places expensive with most falling between £1.50 and £3.00 - I think my chai usually costs just under £2.00. They do also sell food but I'm too scared to LOOK at the prices for that, let alone try it.

The chai taste though is what keeps coming back. Apparently it's 99% caffeine free, and it doesn't TASTE like chai I've got anywhere else - or like chai at all really. What it reminds me of most is raw scone mix, if they could turn that into a hot drink. (And if that doesn't sound delicious, I'm guessing your mum never let you scrape the bowl as a kid).

The drink is, as I said, delicious and there's only one thing that stops me coming back daily and bankrupting myself on the stuff. That, unfortunately, is the service. The staff are friendly enough, but even with the coffee shop empty, it takes 10 to 15 minutes to get your drink, and if its busy there's often a large queue. For some reason they seem to need to set milk to steam each time they start a drink and you have to hand around waiting for it.

It's a shame, because I love their drinks. I just don't have time to wait that long for them.